India shook the conscience of the world at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday by stating that it following one rule for three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—and another for other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Speaking on the 75th session of the UNGA, India’s first secretary Ashish Sharma said:
“Culture of peace cannot be only for Abrahamic religions. And as long as such selectivity exists, the world can never truly foster a culture of peace…why is this selectivity?”
Sharma cited a number of instances to buttress his claim.
“The shattering of the iconic Bamyan Buddha by fundamentalists, like terrorist bombing of the Sikh Gurudwara in Afghanistan where 25 Sikh worshippers were killed and the destruction of Hindu and Buddhist temples and minority cleansing of these religions by countries, calls for condemning such acts against these religions also. But the current member States refuse to speak of these religions in the same breath as the first three `Abrahamic’ religions.”
Sharma then shed light on India’s past s well as how it has encouraged religions and faiths of all kind of take roots and flourish on its land.
“India is not just the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism but it also is the land where the teachings of Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism have taken strong root and where the Sufi tradition of Islam has flourished.
“Today every one of the world’s major religions has a home in India. The great Indian philosopher Swami Vivekanand said, ”We (India) believe not only in universal toleration but accept all religions as true.
For millenia, India has provided shelter to waves of those persecuted in foreign lands, and allowed them to thrive in India…India is not just a culture, but a civilization in itself,” he said.
India has responded after multiple resolutions by the UN, condemning violence against Abrahamic religions by terming them as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Christianophobia. But not a word is uttered when people of other non-Abrahamic religions are persecuted.
